First though, some assorted observations I noted while doing this:-Plausible explanation for eyelashes: ground hornbills have them.

-Isn't it ironic for a small ceratopsian to have a crush on an oviraptorosaur?

-Applejack is farming a close Mesozoic relative of modern custard apples.

-I figured that dresses would be pretty superfluous for sapient maniraptors when you already have candy-colored feathers growing out of your hands and tail. Here Rarity is instead an expert on feather maintenance. Her mannequins have detachable feathers that can be replaced, so she can do designs based on the many different color schemes of her customers. She probably does design some clothing as well, but I suspect sapient maniraptors wouldn't wear anything much more extravagant than a cloak, like Trixie does.

-How do you show a female maniraptor is a tomboy? She's (the most) colorful. Incidentally, her color scheme appears to suggest that she leaves a triplequadruple(!) rainbow in her wake at top speed.

-I couldn't find a way to fit a crown on Celestia's head. I suppose if you have a huge crest on your head a crown becomes superfluous.

If you want someone to credit/blame for putting this idea in my head, is the one you want.

Post-update notice: I'm aware that Twilight is an alicorn now. As this image was meant to vaguely reflect the beginning of the series, I have chosen to keep her in her original form here.

While I find it enjoyable, the immense following is indeed perplexing (though not necessarily a bad thing). There are other cartoons out there that appeal more to older audiences and have their share of fans, but, strangely, still don't have the memetic status of this show.

That said, here are some reasons for its popularity that I've read/can come up with.-Multiple three-dimensional female characters.-Has its saccharine moments, but for most part not too childish for older audiences to enjoy.-Good writing; the endings may often be predictable, but plot devices and other cliches often subverted, averted, sometimes lampshaded, etc.-Use of traditional cartoon gags.-Characters not overly anthropomorphic. Yes, they use human-like tools and have a human-like society, some ponies can fly and some can use magic, but a lot of their movements, body language, and behavior are similar to that of real horses.-Genius bonuses when it comes to mythology, zoology, and astronomy.-Interesting worldbuilding.-Not all that cynical; just fun.-Uh, people jumping the bandwagon, I guess.

Princess Celestia is not based on one group of maniraptors but has features of oviraptorosaurs, flying deinonychosaurs, and flightless deinonychosaurs. She has a crest like an oviraptorid, large wings like a dromaeosaurid, and (though I haven't drawn them here) long, slender legs like a troodont.

Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon is similar, though she also has a beak on the tip of her snout with teeth behind, like a hesperornithine, which kind of makes her look more sinister. (Celestia on the other hand has an entirely toothy snout.) Her beak forms a keratin ridge on her snout connected to her crest, like an oviraptorid (and as I've drawn here).

The mane six I imagine being all being between 1-2m (3-6ft) long, regardless of their real life counterparts.

Wow, quite the list and thank you for the image links! Are you a paleornithologist, by chance? I won't tell if you are

I love the show MLP: FiM, it's so fun to watch the characters interact and develop. Who is best pony, in your opinion? I am incredibly curious, I have never met another dino nut who captured the ponies' personalities so well in terms of individual species. *blushes*

Anyway I will get to doodling the Mane 6 and the Princesses soon. Thanks so much for letting me do this!

I'm basically in the same boat as you with this show - I watched the first ep a while ago, was totally uninterested and unimpressed, then for some reason watched a little more at a later point and found it surprisingly clever and enjoyable. I too don't get the massive internet obsession with it, though.